The Macromolecular Materials Gordon Research Conference (formerly named Polymers West) is known for being an interdisciplinary, synergistic meeting, and the January 2009 edition will keep with past tradition and combine new, exciting aspects of polymer chemistry, physics and engineering. Macromolecular Materials will be hosting a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) for the second consecutive time on the weekend prior to the main GRC meeting. The GRS is a new conference sponsored by the Gordon Research Conferences and is intended to provide a GRC meeting experience solely for younger researchers; The GRS organizers and presenters will be entirely graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. The topics of the 2-day GRS will also be interdisciplinary in nature, and the attendees are encouraged to stay for the full Macromolecular Materials GRC the following week. The first GRS was a huge success with forty presenters who made lasting professional relationships during the GRS and the subsequent GRC. The 2009 Macromolecular Materials GRS should prove to be even more successful. Ventura, CA is a great location for a January meeting that makes possible activities such as afternoon trips to the Channel Islands for whale watching, visits to wineries around Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez valley, and enjoyment of Ventura’s beaches. This atmosphere, combined with the intimate and interdisciplinary nature of the Macromolecular Materials GRC, guarantees a memorable meeting and that all participants will leave with new colleagues, collaborations and ideas.